Let us fall in love
by MissTeak
Summary: Sesshoumaru has a hopeless crush on the woman who comes along with the scent of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Manolo's 4" leopard sandals and maybe 50 secret admirers. What's a self-respecting CEO to do, when dream girl Kagome happens to be Miss Popularity?
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: For those of you who have read my other one-shot, "Darling, don't you know?" on the A Single Spark, here's another one which takes place in the same kind of office setting. But instead of it being Kagome having a hopeless crush on Sesshoumaru (which is often the scenario we see in other stories), the tables are turned this time round. What happens when Sesshoumaru has a hopeless crush on their company's Miss Popularity? And Miss Popularity secretly found him cute as well? Read ahead and enjoy this light-hearted one-shot! Hope it will be a refreshing change from Wisteria.

**Title: Let us fall in love**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The alluring fragrance of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle seeped into the chilly air of the air-conditioned office, floating on the waves of comfortable chill to cast its magical spell over all the breathing males within the vicinity. One by one, they fell into the web of attraction she spun.

Those Kate Spade Caitlyn 3.5" black peep toe pumps clicked seductively against the floor, turning heads and eliciting smiles, waves and admiring gazes with their sensual rhythm.

"Good morning, Miss Higurashi!" Male voices echoing the same greeting were heard around the office as if on cue.

"Good morning." She inclined her head innocently with a saccharine sweet smile in the directions of the voices which she could catch, unknowingly hurting a few hearts as she missed smiling in their direction. Then she would nod politely and greet the senior staff, smiling sweetly the entire time.

"You look amazing today. Then again, Miss Higurashi, you look amazing every day."

"Thank you, Mr. Sawajiri." She smiled somewhat shyly again, unknowingly registering in Sawajiri's mind the need to compliment her again.

The smile made him wonder if it was really as innocent as it seemed. Was she really ignorant of her immense popularity at their workplace, or was she simply feigning innocence and basking in the attention?

"Oh, and Mr. Makita, here's some throat candy for you. You were saying that your throat felt scratchy yesterday, weren't you?" She smiled, handing him the young man a bag of herbal candy.

Makita looked as if he just won a hundred million yen from the lottery. What a pathetic excuse for a man.

Like all the other men in the vicinity, he found himself glancing out of the corner of his eyes after her back. So this week was the girlish, semi-formal Kate Spade Caitlyn…she had no idea how many males were virtually drooling after her when she created an enchanting whirlwind of sensuality with her feisty, unbearably sexy Manolo Blahnik 4" ankle-wrap leopard sandals.

Ever so subtly screaming the word "bondage", if that oxymoronic description even made sense in the first place, Higurashi Kagome literally had all the men at her heels. The Manolo heels did not wear her. She wore the heels, and she made them almost illegal with how professionally erotic they looked. She was not tall, but she was slender and the ankle-wrap heels only made her legs look longer, her ankles super skinny and her feet, unbelievably sexy when set in contrast with the leopard print. In other words, she turned up the heat to sweltering levels in the space they all shared.

She was just sexy as well, in an innocent way.

Matching the Kate Spade Caitlyn pumps were a black tight-fitting retro pencil skirt, a gently ruffled sweet baby pink sleeveless top, and her classic white Chanel 2.55. A string of virginal creamy white pearls around her neck completed the look. Did she even know that everything she wore was what he looked forward to observing every morning?

He wanted her badly, more than he ever wanted anyone else. But every morning, as he helplessly fell into the vortex of seduction that was Higurashi Kagome, he would snap out of it a few seconds before the average office guy did, and he would realize that he was not the only one who wanted her badly. The main problem was, despite him not being the only one who was obsessed with her, he was the only one who had problems approaching her or getting to know her better.

You see, he was her boss. The others were colleagues, so perhaps that made it easier for them to break the ice with her and communicate.

Following the daily routine, he snapped out of his bedazzled state ten seconds before she entered the pantry area to greet him. See how pathetic he was? He was supposedly the CEO, but in order to catch a glimpse of her in the morning, he chose to pretend to love the overly diluted coffee from their pantry, standing in there feigning interest in the coffee-maker until she arrived.

"Good morning, Mr. Taisho." She smiled alluringly, her eyes crinkling up ever so slightly at their ends to form perfect almond-shaped orbs.

"Good morning, Miss Higurashi." He would reply stiffly, clutching the handle of his coffee mug.

She would continue smiling politely in return, while her Coco Mademoiselle scent attacked his senses and invaded his mind mercilessly. "So how is today's coffee?"

"Good." He lied. It tasted more like lukewarm water with some caffeine stirred in. Then she would smile in a knowing manner and would bow politely as he made his way back to his personal CEO office room. He wanted to speak more to her, about things other than work or coffee, but Taisho Sesshoumaru actually lacked the guts to do so.

Then he would overhear a small conversation between this ethereal goddess and a particular male from his office. He had been trying to convince himself that there was no special relationship between them, but his hypersensitive ears always managed to pick up some evidence to prove otherwise.

"You walk really quickly for someone in 3.5" heels, dearest Kagome. Didn't I just drop you at the main entrance less than 10 minutes ago before I went to park the car?"

She would laugh merrily, before replying, "Miroku, it must have been the breakfast you made. Gosh, if I could eat such lovely blueberry pancakes every day, I would be highly energetic for work." Another laugh that sounded like tinkling silver bells, and her lovely voice was heard again. "Make those for me again, pretty please?"

"Sure, anything for you as long as it makes you happy. I am so honored you appreciate my pancakes-"

Another bout of giggles, and Kagome shook her head in amused, mock exasperation. The waves of Coco Mademoiselle rolling off her grew stronger with her mirth, sucking all the males down the vortex of hopeful desire with its sensual spell. Somehow to some extent, every male in the office wished they were Miroku at that instant.

'Oh, _sick_. Just listen to how hypocritical Miroku sounded. Wasn't that guy married?' Sesshoumaru thought irritably. His perfect face twisted ever so slightly in a gagging impression, before he shut the door to his office room a little harder than he should have. What an absolutely disgusting conversation…

He did not realize it was not the conversation that he was against, but rather, it was jealousy eating at his heart. Higurashi Kagome did not have an official boyfriend, but she was very close to their married department head, Inagaki Miroku. He was married; so why would she cling on to him? Maybe she did not even know he was married? Was he that attractive? Or maybe he was the one financing the Chanel 2.55, Manolo Blahnik sandals and Kate Spade Caitlyn pumps?

Sesshoumaru stubbornly concluded that if he ever got the chance to, he would buy Higurashi Kagome things that would make the classy Chanel 2.55 seem like an eco-bag.

And as if this closeness was not enough to make Sesshoumaru turn into the green-eyed monster, Kagome was on very friendly terms with almost everyone else except for him. She would never cruelly reject friendly lunch offers, and would instead enthusiastically ask others around and they would go for lunch in a big group; all males and one very attractive female.

On the other hand, Sesshoumaru's lunch was always boring. Given his status, he could not eat with the other employees except for the department heads or general managers without the situation being awkward. On top of that, his social skills, or the lack thereof, had rendered him unable to create or sustain lunch time conversations with his subordinates. It made him a rather dispensable lunch partner, so most of the times, all he had for company was the highly irritating but loyal Jaken, who was the ancient head of the accounts department. And while the popular people ate at some new fancy fusion café down the street, he would eat his packed lunch, prepared by his old housekeeper, in the dining hall at their company with Jaken.

Sesshoumaru found himself glancing at Kagome's ever-growing clique with a sour feeling in his gut. Who wouldn't? Would there honestly be a person who preferred boring, noisy and irritating Jaken to vivacious, beautiful yet kind and funny Kagome?

Then he spied her through the gaps of the blinds in his office, talking animatedly to yet another guy. It was futile, really, when she was so overly friendly for her own good. If they could be so friendly with her, there was no reason as to why he could not.

He would give it a shot.

* * *

Minutes later, the phone on Kagome's desk rang.

"Good morning, this is Higurashi Kagome from Taisho Corporation, human resource department. How can I help?"

"Miss Higurashi, Mr. Taisho would like to speak to you. Please press "2" for the extension line."

"Sure, thank you." She replied politely, bracing herself inwardly as a perfectly French manicured nail pressed "2" on the telephone.

"Hello, Mr. Taisho? How can I be of help?"

"I want you to have lunch with me today."

"Eh? Sorry?"

She could not believe what she just heard.

"I want you to have lunch with me today."

"Oh."

"Just the two of us. Do not invite anyone else." His voice was oddly strained and betrayed the nervousness he felt at having to do something like that.

"Oh." Kagome was shocked to say the least. She would have to find reasons to postpone the lunch date she had with Mr. Kouga and Mr. Hojo. "Umm, alright."

He was silent for two awkward seconds.

"Alright."

And the line went dead. Kagome removed the receiver at stared at it for a few seconds.

Did the cutest and most unattainable man on earth just asked her out lunch?

Then she smiled, extended a "victory" sign under her desk and whispered, "Yes!"

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/N: How did you guys like this? Please tell me!


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed the first chapter! Here's chapter two of this short story (I predict 4 chapters at the very most) and it will be the lunch date! Of course, this story is under the genre of humor, so there would be funny bits here and there. Or at least, I hope they would be.

Watch them play the flirting game!

Enjoy!

**Title: Let us fall in love**

* * *

For once in goodness-knows-how-many-years, Taisho Sesshoumaru found himself about to go out for lunch during lunch break with the most desirable girl in his company.

He felt slightly nervous, fidgety and tingly all over.

Wait a minute.

Wasn't he supposed to be cool, composed, slick and simply invincible at everything?

Rather, that was what he firmly wanted to believe. Perhaps he really was good at most things – he had been outstanding at sports back in school, excellent at his studies, crowned prom king in every prom he had attended, talented at work…

What about love?

_Nah_, an irritating little voice drawled lazily in his mind. _You're a teeny-weeny baby greenhorn when it comes to the L.O.V.E._

_But I've had girlfriends!_ He mentally argued.

_Girlfriends? You call those girls you slept with randomly girlfriends? You're downright pathetic, Sesshoumaru. Granted, you do look pretty good, but you are only good at seducing ladies at pubs. Courting and cherishing a lady is entirely different from that._

Sesshoumaru cursed his inner self for being right.

He was nervous, at the prospect of walking alongside the gorgeous pair of Kate Spade Caitlyn heels and being enveloped in the cloud of Coco Mademoiselle-scented fairy air with the most amazing girl.

The earlier phone conversation with her had been bad enough – he certainly was not counting on her to agree so readily, and in his state of confusion and inexperience, Sesshoumaru had only been able to come up with a tragically pathetic 'alright'.

_Alright? ALRIGHT?_

Puh-leeze.

Higurashi Kagome was Miss Popularity, for goodness' sake.

It was not at all alright. In fact, it was a downright pathetic reply.

His crush on her was so bad; he could not effectively summon the cool, collected Sesshoumaru in him. How ironical things could get…he was always so confident around the girls he used to go out with, but just when he met one which he really, really liked, he found himself unable to exude the similar charm he possessed. He would be stoic like how he usually was, and perhaps even more stoic than usual due to the pressure he faced.

That would surely scare sweet, lovely Kagome sprinting away from him as quickly as she could manage in her branded-heels-of-the-week.

Damn.

How on earth was he going to win against all that competition? Sure, he had the money that most of them would never ever have, but that was beside the point. She apparently did like labels and branded goods, but she did not seem to be the sort who would date or marry for money. This was why his usual advantage over most men did not help him in the least when it came to Higurashi Kagome. She was simply too popular, with too many choices laid out in front of her. Every breathing male liked her to some extent.

Even ugly old Jaken.

Competition was too strong. But Sesshoumaru decided that he would definitely prevail over all his rivals. Sesshoumaru never, ever lost at _anything_. Even when he was a toddler, he would fight with Inuyasha over the bucket and the spade at the sandpit, and he would win.

He would always win, wouldn't he?

Smugly, Sesshoumaru concluded that winning was his destiny. _(Being humble was obviously not one of his strong points.)_

A moment later, subconsciously, he found his own hands moving over the crown of his head, smoothing out any possible tangles or messiness in his hair.

_What the hell are you doing, Taisho Sesshoumaru?_ His inner self cackled wickedly. _Did I just catch you arranging your hair like some lovesick teenage school boy on his first date?? You're absolutely pathetic!_

Sesshoumaru hurriedly removed his hands away from his head and secured his mask of indifference back on his face. That was how immense the power of Higurashi Kagome was; she was able to haunt one and dominate his actions and thoughts even without being in the vicinity.

_Knock, knock._

"Come in." He answered calmly. It must be Jaken with the documents for the meeting later.

"Mr. Taisho?"

_Shit._

He could already smell the lingering Coco Mademoiselle floating towards him, like an enchanted baby pink cloud of magic swirled with pearly black, which were the main colors of her outfit.

"Yes?"

She looked confused by his weird reply, unsure as to what she should say to that. Then the beautiful, innocent temptress looked questioningly at him with her mesmerizing doe eyes as she gingerly fingered the string of Mikimoto pearls around her neck.

Damn.

There was just something about Higurashi Kagome that was so captivating, and Sesshoumaru realized what it was. It was her innate ability to appear sweet, elegant yet wickedly naughty at the very same time.

This incidentally happened to be what he looked for in a girl.

A few weeks ago, there was the elegant OL thigh-length chiffon dress, matched with a girlish Louis Vuitton Papillion PM. Her shoes were equally elegant without the wicked touch, being Christian Dior's Dior Folies Suede Pumps. It seemed safe and conservative, until he noticed how she pulled the sleeves down after work to convert the elegant dress into a sexy off-shoulder dress which flaunted her collarbones.

Absolutely, unbearably wicked.

Then there was the dark grey pant suit she wore, matched with a Gucci Pelham shoulder bag. There was really nothing very special with that outfit, until he saw her up close at the pantry. That innocent seductress had worn a creamy off-white lace top underneath that pant suit coat, giving him a very subtle view of the rounded curve of the top of her breasts.

Once again, she had added a touch of naughtiness to what would otherwise be cool and professional.

So this week was the Mikimoto pearls, elegant yet sultry when fingered so slowly.

He continued to look at her, his face set in a frozen, expressionless gaze.

She thought he was just being stoic. But in actual fact, Sesshoumaru just did not know what to do in the face of her potent combination of beauty, elegance, naughtiness, kindness and friendliness.

"I thought we were going out for, umm, lunch? And it is lunch time, so…" She allowed her words to trail. "So…if you are ready, then…"

_ARRRRRGH!!! _

Kagome wanted to cry out loud. For goodness' sake, why was Taisho Sesshoumaru's face so expressionless? Why was he making it so difficult for her? Was it deliberate? It was making her as nervous as hell and all she wanted to do was to find a hole and crawl into it. She should have known it would be awkward. For all she knew the lunch date call had been a prank by someone else who did not want her to go out with Kouga and-

"I am."

"Oh." She breathed in relief. "OK."

"Shall we go?"

"Sure!" Kagome smiled brightly, almost succeeding in eliciting a smile on Sesshoumaru's face. "But just give me a moment…I left my cell phone on Mr. Inagaki's car. I'd need to go get that first."

_Inagaki Miroku again._

Sesshoumaru felt jealousy eat at him like a vile serpent. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to admit that Kagome was most probably having a special relationship with Miroku, who happened to be a married man.

And he, Taisho Sesshoumaru, CEO of Taisho Corporation, all-rounder at virtually everything except for love, was just a lunch partner.

Who, essentially, made use of his authority and demanded to lunch with her.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Sesshoumaru found himself sitting in a fancy French-Japanese fusion restaurant named Ma Maison at Shibuya 109. He was still feeling a little airy in the head from the uncountable number of admiring stares that Kagome had received on their way to the restaurant. Even the young waiter was trying to sneak glances at her while pretending to be professional.

It felt damn good walking alongside the most beautiful girl in the office, and he secretly decided that she would, at the very least, make a fantastic trophy wife. They looked fantastic together, even when she wore 3.5" heels that would dwarf most Japanese men, for Sesshoumaru still towered over her.

"What would you like to have, Miss Higurashi?" He asked gentlemanly, half-expecting her to order a Caesar salad and nothing else.

"Hmm…" She looked back down at the menu placed in front of her, her face revealing her inner dilemma over which dish she would prefer. "I would like to have the bacon and mushroom omurice, along with a cream of cauliflower."

This was the first time he had gone out with a girl who did not survive on what he dubbed the bunny diet.

"And you, Mr. Taisho?"

"I will go for the Doteni Hamburger." He decided. "Thank you."

The waiter took down their orders and left with a polite bow.

Kagome smiled her trademark alluring smile again. "That's a good choice. The demi glaze sauce that comes along with it has been left to simmer for 28 days before it is served. I've tried it before…it's really delicious."

_Not as delicious as you are…_Sesshoumaru thought involuntarily as he looked at her.

"Is this your first time here?" She asked, attempting to create conversation which her drop-dead gorgeous but oh-so-serious boss. The cozy cottage-like décor of the shop was making it easier for her with its light, romantic atmosphere.

He nodded.

Her eyes widened.

"First time as in Ma Maison? Or Shibuya 109?"

He looked back at her expressionlessly. "Both."

"Oh." Kagome could not believe her ears. Shibuya 109 had got to be one of the coolest and hippest shopping places in Tokyo…and Mr. Taisho, aka Mr. Big-shot-CEO, had never been to this place before?

He was…well…for the lack of better words…

_Uncool._

He cleared his throat politely to snap her out of her reverie. That worked.

"Is that very strange, Miss Higurashi?"

She tried to wipe off the astounded expression off her face and settled for a sincere, polite smile. "No, not at all. You must be a very busy man."

She realized how cute he looked when he had that questioning expression on.

Maybe she would try, just for a teeny-weeny bit, to flirt with him. Even though he most probably had a wife or a girlfriend or something, judging from the nicely-prepared packed lunch he brought to work every day.

_Here goes nothing._

"Actually, Mr. Taisho…you can call me Kagome. I mean, this is a casual lunch, not a conference or a meeting."

"No," He replied, witnessing how her alluring smile sublimed off her pretty features in an instant. Disappointment was starting to creep into her face.

"How could I address you as Kagome when you are addressing me as Mr. Taisho?"

So he knew how to flirt as well! Kagome might as well have discovered gravity. With elation in her heart, she broke into a bright grin that reminded him of fields of buttercups with summer sunshine shining down upon them.

"Sesshoumaru." She called out his name, mindful to add a little, just a little, pinch of fondness.

Sesshoumaru never expected his name to be able to sound so sensual and so endearing from a woman's lips.

"Kagome." He addressed her in return, deliberately making it sound lower in a more seductive hint.

She nodded in a satisfied smile and raised her glass of water to her lips, taking a tentative sip.

"So, Sesshoumaru, I have never seen you going out for lunch before."

"I bring my own lunch to work." He replied, a little too quickly to reveal his defensiveness of the topic.

"I've seen you eating those sometimes at the dining hall." She said. "They look really good. Did you make them yourself?"

He shook his head.

She felt a little twinge of dread as she asked with what she hoped to be a nonchalant face. Would it be a little too early to bring this topic into the conversation?

"Your wife or girlfriend made them?"

He caught sight of jealousy in her expressive eyes, even though the rest of her face hid it well. The Coco Mademoiselle scent even died down a little. Sesshoumaru decided smugly that he would prolong the suspense just for a little while.

He shrugged. "What do you think?"

The nerve of him! Kagome was beyond shocked. She had never been out with a guy who played mind games with her. Most of the guys she had gone out with were simply too eager to please and it became unbearably boring after half an hour.

He played mind games, but still, he was forgiven for being almost god-like in his sexiness when he shrugged.

For a moment she forgot the man sitting across the table was her boss. "How would I know?" She replied haughtily, pretending not to care in the least. The 3.5" Kate Spade Caitlyn clicked against the tiled flooring.

Sesshoumaru suppressed a laugh. Taisho Corporation's Miss Popularity looked extremely delectable when she was feigning disinterest.

He decided to put her out of her misery.

"No. I don't have a girlfriend, not to mention a wife."

"I see." She had a ghost of a smile lingering on her lips, and Sesshoumaru noted that with smug satisfaction. She apparently liked the idea of him being single and available.

"What about you, Kagome?"

It was her turn to play. "Who do you think I am close too?"

"I have no idea. Almost all the men at the office seem to be rather attracted to you." He shrugged.

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows rose questioningly. "Almost?" Kagome asked innocently, before her eyes caught his and she held his gaze sensually. "Are you the exception, Sesshoumaru?"

"That would be for you to guess, dear Kagome."

"I would think so." She flirted subtly and blatantly at the very same time.

"You'd never know." He replied smoothly. "My guess, however, is that you share a pretty close relationship with one of the males in the office."

This comment from him took her by surprise. She did not even know there was someone whom she was particularly close to.

"Who's that?"

Sesshoumaru was amazed at how she could keep a straight face and appear genuinely confused. "Inagaki Miroku." He might as well have spat that name out.

"Mr. Inagaki?"

_He thought I am in love with Miroku?_ Kagome thought incredulously.

And for the very first time in his highly-disciplined, righteous and gentlemanly life, Sesshoumaru found himself acting like a hypocrite. Totally, hopelessly, out of character, but he felt he had to save Kagome from ending up as the third party in someone else's marriage.

Or perhaps the reason was not half as noble. He just wanted her for himself, even if he had to badmouth Miroku.

"Don't you know he is married?" Sesshoumaru pointed out a little bitchier than he should have sounded.

Kagome frowned, her pretty features reflecting greater confusion.

"I know that." She answered him in a matter-of-factly manner. "I believe I know that better than anyone else in the office. What's wrong with that?"

"Then don't you think you should stop seeing him?" Sesshoumaru continued, trying to keep emotions out of his face. He obviously succeeded, because Kagome appeared even more confused. "You should be going out with someone who is not attached, and who can buy you even more of the fancy things you like."

_And that's me,_ he silently added.

Kagome suddenly looked as if some ground-shaking truth dawned upon her, before she doubled over in her seat, her face turning cherry with the effort to hold back hysterical laughter.

"Why are you-"

Sesshoumaru did not get to finish his sentence, for the waiter interrupted.

"Here's the minestrone soup for the gentleman, and the cream of cauliflower for the lady."

He continued looking questioningly at Kagome, slightly annoyed and curious, while she coughed lightly to stop the laughter from erupting from within.

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/N: And the flirting war goes on! Please let me know if you guys liked this! And thank you to all those who reviewed/will be reviewing. You guys are the best! Your feedback and reviews always make me write faster.


	3. Chapter 3

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: A big thank you to all who reviewed! Here's the third installment of "Let us fall in love", and I hope you guys will like this one! I know it was horrible of Sesshoumaru to badmouth poor, clueless, Miroku…but doesn't that just show how crazily obsessed he was with Kagome?

Enjoy the new chapter! I am extending the chapters! 4 just don't seem enough!

**Title: Let us fall in love**

* * *

Leaving the soups untouched between them, Sesshoumaru decided he would ask the alluring temptress what she was laughing about before he went crazy with guessing the possibilities.

"Pray tell, Kagome. What's amusing you?"

Pretty, sparkling eyes met his for an instant, before her head dipped back down in obvious amusement.

She laughed silently, her slender frame shaking slightly with the effort to hold in laughter. _I cannot believe he is jealous! What's more, over Miroku!_

It was simply unbelievable how the dignified, drop-dead gorgeous man in front of her was actually trying to put Miroku down, just so that he can get her to stop her "extramarital affair" with him.

_An extramarital affair with Miroku! That would make an excellent dinner joke at the dining table tonight._

Sesshoumaru almost died with the suspense when his lovely goddess continued laughing.

_Perhaps she is going to tell me things like, "So what? Are you living in the 18__th__ century? We are consensual adults and are just having fun!"_

NO. NO.

He cleared the evil little fog in his mind. That would never happen; such words should never be spoken from the lips of his goddess.

_He hoped._

Finally, as bouts of laughter subsided, Kagome straightened in her seat and reached into her Chanel 2.55, retrieving her Louis Vuitton Damier Canvas organizer.

"I have something to show you." She was now composed again, and he found himself having an odd fascination with her soft pink lip gloss. Yes, he was dreading the truth _THAT_ much.

"Once you've seen this, you will know why I was laughing."

He nodded dumbly.

Calmly, Kagome pulled a photo out from the side of the organizer slowly, turning it so that Sesshoumaru could look directly at it. He found himself moving forward in the chair, his eyes fixed intently on the photo.

More of the photograph gradually appeared, and Sesshoumaru saw that it was Kagome, looking pristine and elegant in a sleeveless pure ivory gown encrusted with a slender column of crystals down the front, her hair tumbling over those slender shoulders in sexily arranged waves. The very same string of Mikimoto pearls adorned her neck.

He did not want to recognize it for what it was, but there was also a spray of baby's breath in her inky black hair. And that smile…that smile of bliss…

Kagome continued pulling the photo out, and the sides of what obviously was a man in a black tuxedo slowly came into view.

Sesshoumaru noted with mounting horror (his face was not moving the entire time) as he recognized the building in the background of the photo as a church.

Then, as he sat transfixed looking at the church, Miroku's face came into direct view.

His smile was as bright as sunshine, and the emotions swimming in Miroku's eyes were obvious for the entire world to see. Clad in a black tuxedo contrasting the crystal-encrusted ivory gown on his left, the cold, hard truth dawned upon Sesshoumaru.

_Holy F***._

They were married.

_Shit. Bloody Hell._

Miroku and Kagome was a married couple!

Shock was an understatement, and Sesshoumaru found himself torn between millions of contrasting facts which he had secretly observed and collected over the entire period of his crush for Higurashi Kagome.

_If she was married, why didn't her marital status on her bio-data indicate so?_

_Why was Miroku the only one wearing the ring openly on his hand?_

_Where was Kagome's ring?_

_I should have known the truth when she mentioned the breakfast he made for her...not to mention the daily lifts she got from him…_

_But why did she always tell everyone that she did not have a boyfriend when they asked her?_

_And if the colleagues knew of their marriage, no one would be trying to hit on Kagome, since Miroku is there. But they still are trying to get into her good books!_

Kagome noted with sly, naughty satisfaction as the demi-god in front of her looked slightly…forlorn. He was just staring straight ahead at the photo, but his eyes, the magnificently regal pools of liquid gold, were clouded over in dull ochre.

"You…" He mumbled bitterly. "You are married to him."

Kagome had never seen Sesshoumaru like that, and it scared her and made her feel hopelessly evil at the same time. She guessed he really liked her, or perhaps, was thinking of dating her, which was why he seemed obviously disappointed.

She decided it was time to put him out of his misery.

"You haven't seen the rest." She said softly, and continued pulling the rest of the photo out.

As the photo came out more from its confines in the organizer, Sesshoumaru saw the sides of something white and large appearing gradually. More of it was revealed with the passing second, and it turned out to be a veil.

A bridal veil.

As more of the picture came into view, Sesshoumaru realized with mounting happiness that whatever he saw on Kagome in the photo was at least twice as grand and magnificent on the lady in the picture.

Adorning her neck was a solid chain of diamonds, sparkling merrily in the sunshine, instead of pearls.

The baby's breath in Kagome's hair was completely muted out by the elegant and grand veil tastefully arranged on the bride's head.

Her gown was even more mesmerizing – a silky satin halter gown with a more elaborate trail of crystals running down the front.

Her face was revealed, and he noted the resemblance between Kagome and the bride. They were not identical, of course, but there was definitely unmistakable resemblance in the beautiful features.

Even the makeup was more radiant as compared to Kagome's sweet, charming look.

It was too obvious by now that the beautiful lady Kagome had just revealed in the photo was the real bride.

"That's my sister, Sango." Kagome smiled, her eyes fixed on Sesshoumaru's face the entire time.

"Your sister?" Sesshoumaru repeated dumbly, feeling the tingles of elation and relief creep into his heart after the initial tremors of shock had passed. "So Miroku is your…"

She nodded and smiled sweetly again. "Yes. He is my brother-in-law, and she is the real Mrs. Inagaki. Miroku and I used to be colleagues who did not know too much about one another, but later, we became pretty good friends when Sango introduced him to me as her boyfriend."

Sesshoumaru nodded dumbly, taking in the joyous piece of truth. He swore he saw fairy dust coming from Kagome's lips, swimming in the air between them like a golden cloud of magical glitter.

"They met at this kickboxing class, where Sango was the trainer. It's quite funny, really. They sparred during the second lesson and Sango totally creamed Miroku, but that was how he fell in love with her." Kagome smiled, before letting out a twinkling laughter.

"That's interesting," Sesshoumaru replied jokingly. "I did not know Inagaki Miroku liked to be abused."

"Miroku likes sporty and active ladies like Sango, which definitely puts me out of range. I am the couch and Pocky type."

_MY type_, Sesshoumaru thought possessively.

"And if you are wondering, I am temporarily staying with them right now because I am looking for a new apartment. Which explains the breakfast and the daily lifts to work." She explained calmly, before giggling involuntarily. "Sango would karate-chop me if she heard about this misunderstanding in the office!"

Sesshoumaru chuckled softly. He suddenly felt as if he was transported to the heights of paradise with the lovely,_ available_ goddess sitting opposite him.

He took a sip of his minestrone soup. It was good for the common minestrone, but to Sesshoumaru, it tasted like the Chinese delicacy, "Buddha jump over the wall", of abalone, scallops, waxed meats and everything posh.

"You are naughty indeed, Kagome, to tease this Sesshoumaru like that."

She immediately assumed the adorably innocent face and smiled to herself while bringing the cream soup closer.

"And you, Sesshoumaru, are equally naughty to jump to conclusions about this Kagome before you find out the truth." She mimicked playfully.

That elicited a smile from her usually stoic boss and suddenly, a tingly flower of sweet knowing bloomed between them, while Cupid hovered in the deliciously scented air of the little restaurant, wondering when he should release his arrow.

* * *

_To be continued..._

A/N: A short chapter, but nonetheless cute, don't you think? And please agree with me that Sango seems like the kickboxing-trainer type! I think it's pretty fitting for her characterization!


	4. Chapter 4

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: Here's chapter 4, and I would like to thank Teensie-sama for sharing her expert knowledge of fashion with me! Also, she is the one who contributed to Kagome's "wardrobe" for this chapter. You're amazing, Teensie!

Now scroll down and enjoy the story!

**Title: Let us fall in love**

* * *

He watched her eat a huge mouthful of buttered rice with a generous drizzle of mushroom cream sauce over it. She chewed silently, while a happy, blissful expression clouded those expressive eyes of hers.

"Hmm…" She purred almost inaudibly at the deliciousness of her lunch.

Funny how she had the amazing ability to make food appear even more delicious than it actually was. She did not eat like most of those skinny girlies he had dated in the past – the type which pushed bits of boiled veggie around the plate with their fork and knife, put morsels of carrot into their perfectly painted mouths without touching their lips, and chopped veggies into tiny bits to make it look as if they actually ate something.

Kagome was totally different from them; she seemed to be the type of girlfriend who would go on foodie trips and hunt down the best deals in town for international lunch buffets, while making sure that she ate every cent worth of the bill.

She seemed oblivious to his gaze on her, continuing with her meal heartily. She did not eat elegantly like a princess, but she was a silent eater with genuine gratitude, a good appetite, along with good table manners. That was far more attractive than those trying-too-hard-to-be-elegant-bunny-diet-survivors.

He was no longer feeling nervous or restricted around her, he realized. She was being so natural and so relaxed that it made it hard for anyone to feel intimidated or restricted.

Finishing the last mouthful of omelet rice, Kagome put her fork and spoon down. She picked up the napkin by her side and wiped her mouth daintily, before looking up at him with a mesmerizing grin which threatened to take his breath away with its beauty, joy and innocent qualities.

"How was it?" He asked, unable to hold his smile back.

"Amazing." She sighed blissfully. "There's nothing I love more than good food."

_Well, you will love me more,_ Sesshoumaru thought to himself. "We'll visit this place again in the near future then."

…_now that I no longer have to worry about Inagaki Miroku being in the picture._

Kagome sipped her water, and removed the glass rim from her lips. "Is that a date, Sesshoumaru?"

"You can say so." He replied, watching a bashful smile light up her features. "So, shall we make a move?"

"Ummm…" Kagome looked hesitant.

"What is it?"

She smiled sheepishly again, and discreetly, pointed at a perfectly created green tea parfait on the table beside theirs with a perfectly manicured finger.

Did she just point at the calorie-ridden parfait – the one with a huge glob of vanilla soft cream, two scoops of green tea ice cream, red bean paste, sweetened seasonal fruits and loads of kanten jelly at the base? Drizzled with black honey?

He could not believe what his goddess just requested. Girls who took desserts after hearty main courses were almost extinct; in fact, they were dying specimens.

"You want to eat that?"

"Yes, but…" She looked longingly at the parfait, her eyes shining like a little child who was promised a treat.

"But?" He prompted, mesmerized by how beautiful his goddess' side profile looked.

Kagome turned towards him with eyes she knew would definitely melt him, and said in a small voice while looking down at the table.

"I won't be able to finish it." She said in a small voice, knowing very well she had gotten her devastatingly handsome boss in her trap. "It is no fun eating a parfait alone…"

He realized what she was up to. So much for thinking she was a innocent little sweetheart. Sesshoumaru smirked inwardly – he was never one to pass on an opportunity.

"Who says you'll be eating it alone?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Would you like green tea, or black sesame?"

* * *

(The next day)

The devilishly sexy yet adoringly girlish Christian Louboutin champagne pink satin peeptoes practically danced across the Grodok Trotol marble tiling of Taisho Corporation's reception area. Instantly, the cool air-conditioned air started warming up with the presence of the lady with the gorgeous heels, while the breathing males felt the familiar stirrings of magical charm waft through the air to envelope the entire building.

The cloud of L'eau D'Issey by Issey Miyake was followed closely by the classy, masculine yet fresh L'eau par Kenzo, pour homme.

"Kagome, wait up! Honestly, my most beautiful Kagome, you walk amazingly fast for someone in killer heels."

"You'd be fast too if you wore them everyday like I do," Kagome replied, increasing her pace in order to get to the coffee area in the pantry of her office as soon as possible. "And Miroku, if you haven't been smiling and trying so hard to strike conversation with that pretty lady at the alfresco café next door, we wouldn't be rushing now."

Miroku glanced at his watch, confused as to why Kagome was rushing to the lift lobby. They were definitely early for work. Why hurry?

"Kagome dear, you do know we are early, don't you?"

"It is late for my usual standards." She stopped in her footsteps, turned back and wrinkled her nose adorably at him. 'And it is your fault."

"But it is not as if we are _late_, right? Why are you even rushing?" Miroku reasoned. "Besides, lady-at-the-café was just too hot. You have to agree with me on this! How can someone wearing a turtleneck top look so sensual eating a banana muffin with a little fork? I had to investigate this mystery for myself-"

Miroku stopped dead in his words of admiration when he caught his angelic yet devilish sister-in-law's evil glare.

_Uh-oh._

"You're doomed, Miroku." She said matter-of-factly. Miroku swore there were crimson devil horns emerging slowly from Kagome's head. "I will tell Sango you said that. Would you like to die by decapitation or massive internal bleeding?"

"No, no, Kagome, you can't do this to me!" Miroku caught up quickly with Kagome, horrified as he imagined his beautiful wife's lethal flying kicks. Or how she could easily grab one's arm and twist it till one begs for mercy.

"You can start writing your will now."

"How can you bear to do this to me? Kagome, think about it! You will never get to eat the special Miroku blueberry pancakes again if I die!"

The little light bulb in Kagome's head lit up. Miroku had a very good point.

"Alright, I will let you off. But you must promise never to delay my time again."

He sighed with relief. _See? That's the problem with all women. They are, for the lack of more impressive vocabulary, difficult. Everyone is jealous of me for living under-one-roof with Higurashi Sango and Higurashi Kagome. They all think my wife is "lively, funny, and sporty with an amazing body" and Kagome, "sweet, demure, fashionable and innocent". Just wait till they get to live with the girls._

Miroku silently thanked all his lucky stars and great Lord Buddha, even though he still did not know why she was in such a hurry to get to her office. "Alright, alright. I solemnly promise that I will never-"

Kagome turned into the lift lobby area. "Oh no! The elevator!"

Miroku was cut off in mid-sentence as Kagome sprinted towards the elevator, before she jammed her hand forcefully onto the "open" button.

The elevator doors which had been closing paused abruptly and opened to let them in, before the L'eau D'Issey she was wearing froze into aquatic floral frost in the air and the Christian Louboutin satin peeptoes grew roots, pushing past the expensive imported marble flooring from Indonesia.

"Good morning…Mr. Taisho." Kagome felt a flush creeping up her cheeks as she bowed politely.

"Good morning, Miss Higurashi," Sesshoumaru replied smoothly, bowing back, before his eyes looked directly into hers. He felt his heartbeat increase; he could feel the tendrils of her charm reaching out for him, travelling on waves of L'eau D'Issey.

"Kagome, you have to stop sprinting like that! I swear, if there was an Olympics event for high heels sprinting, you would be the gold medalist. I haven't even arranged my tie and you keep rushing for goodness-knows-what! Are you dying to fly into office and start-" Miroku nagged as he hastened his footsteps to catch up with her, only to freeze alongside the cloud of Coco Mademoiselle.

"Mr. Taisho! Good morning." Miroku bowed quickly.

"Good morning." Sesshoumaru returned his greeting politely. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Uhh…yes." Miroku could not believe his ears. Did Taisho Sesshoumaru, aka Mr. Stick-up-his-ass, just attempt to start some basic conversation? He used to get such negative vibes from Sesshoumaru whenever his young boss was within his vicinity. It was as if Sesshoumaru couldn't stand the sight of him. "What about you, Mr. Taisho?"

"I've had mine."

Other than work affairs, Sesshoumaru had never attempted to begin any form of conversation or whatsoever with Miroku. Of course, that was when he was jealously assuming that Kagome was Miroku's mistress from his office love affair. But now that the great misunderstanding was cleared, it wouldn't hurt to create amicable ties with his future brother-in-law…

_Woah, woah! Taisho Sesshoumaru! What the hell are you thinking? You haven't even started dating Higurashi Kagome, and you are already fantasizing about marriage? For goodness' sake…are you some air-headed blonde chick in some chick flick? You are hopeless. She's got you pinned right under those Christian Louboutins!_

_But I am a willing party. Do you have a problem with that? _Sesshoumaru debated with his inner self.

With a polite bow, Kagome stepped into the elevator, standing right beside Sesshoumaru before Miroku followed closely behind; standing on Kagome's other side. But alas, the elevator was not too wide, and in her attempt to create more standing space for her brother-in-law, Kagome moved right into Sesshoumaru.

The pink satin Christian Louboutin peeptoes came into contact with Ermenegildo Zegna black buckle shoes, and just like any clichéd scene from whirlwind love stories, Higurashi Kagome found herself losing her balance, only to be caught safely by Taisho Sesshoumaru.

She gasped inaudibly and instinctively looked up at the man whose hands were holding her securely around the shoulder. Her satin mini blouse, with its capped sleeves, revealed the creamy porcelain skin of her arms. From his hold on her arms, she could feel a bit of him seep into her from the simple contact.

His touch was so warm, comfortably so. But it was threatening to send her into a spontaneous combustion mode.

The elevator doors closed.

_Breathe, Kagome. Breathe._

"Are you alright, Miss Higurashi?"

"Y-Yes. Thank you." She was amazed that she could still speak, when the godly creature was just by her side. Kagome felt a warming sensation rise from the base of her neck, and she knew she was going to look like a ripe cherry if he did not let go of her soon.

He nodded stoically, and helped her back into a proper standing position. She cast him a sideward glance, and their eyes met in that magical instant, before Kagome quickly broke the gaze with a bashful smile.

Sesshoumaru could not help the small, almost non-existent smile on his face. His very own beautiful mademoiselle was occasionally still so shy around him, despite them having shared a green tea parfait the day before.

His heart felt as if someone had drizzled honey and sprinkled rainbow rice all over it.

It was pure bliss, sharing a parfait with her.

Failing to come up with a more appropriate word, all Sesshoumaru could say about it were the two words "Flirt Fest".

The way she ate the cherry off the top of the parfait, while looking at him the entire time, sent his imagination rocketing.

The moments when their hands touched sent both hearts flying to the edge of paradise and back again.

He recalled how she had picked up a piece of sliced peach covered in the semi-melted green tea ice cream with her spoon, and pushed it slightly forward in his direction.

He had raised his spoon to receive it from her, only to see the lovely Higurashi Kagome shake her head.

"_I can't pass it to you like that," She said innocently, appearing confused. "It'll spill over."_

_He smirked inwardly yet again, and without a second thought, leaned forward and ate the sliced peach off her spoon, mindful to leave no trace of green tea ice cream behind._

_She watched him eat, leaning forward with both arms folded on the table. Her heart fluttered with the aftershocks of seeing him eat off the spoon in her hand. It was sensual, romantic and sweet at the very same time._

"_Delicious?"_

"_Are you referring to the peach or indirect kiss?"_

_She blushed furiously, and appeared unbearably adorable as she fought to keep the syrupy sweet smile off her face. "Well, I don't know…maybe you can tell me?"_

"_The peach was delicious," He leaned forward and stared at her intently. "But the latter was…even more so."_

Sesshoumaru could still feel the tingles in his heart. If he ever got to kiss her directly, that would definitely be the most delicious of all.

Kagome still felt shockwaves throughout her body.

Miroku observed silently. It was just getting too obvious.

While Sesshoumaru stood still like a statue and Kagome feigned interest in the Swarovski crystal charms on her cellphone strap, both with poorly-concealed smiles, he concluded that he had to talk to his wife during lunch break later in the day.

It seemed that his wife's lovely little sister would not be staying with them for too much longer.

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/N: I hope it was fluffy and romantic enough for you guys! Hope you guys enjoyed this one!


	5. Chapter 5

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: I am back with chapter 5 of "Let us fall in love"! Hope you guys enjoy this one as well. I will soon get back to writing new chapters for "Wisteria". Thank you for being so patient with me!

**Title: Let us fall in love**

* * *

"No, I am serious. You should have seen the smiles on their faces…it was so obvious! Kagome was positively blushing…" Miroku whispered into his phone, looking around for signs of Kagome or worse still, Sesshoumaru.

The other person on the line had obviously expressed disbelief, for Miroku hurriedly replied, "You don't believe me, do you? I took the same elevator with them…you could practically feel the sparks in the air. She was in such a hurry to reach the office too!"

"Hmm…yeah…hmm." He continued. "Of course! He's the CEO, for goodness' sake. Our dearest little Kagome is very lucky indeed…though I am still amazed at how Fate worked out-"

Another short period of silence, and he continued with a laugh. "Yes, I think you can start helping her with the packing…I don't think she'll be staying with us for too long. She might become Mrs. CEO for all we know, and soon, it will be back to just you and me. I love Kagome dearly, but I love the times when we did it right there on the kitchen counter…and the chocolate baths…"

"Helping who with the packing?" A sweet, questioning voice asked from behind him.

"Hold on, dear Sango," Miroku said, before removing the phone from his ear. He turned around to address the person standing behind him. "Why, it's Kagome, of course-"

That was when he saw Kagome standing behind him.

She didn't look too happy.

"Inagaki Miroku!" The cloud of frosty L'eau D'Issey turned into a million pieces of ice shards flying towards him, as pretty Kagome fumed.

Brown eyes widened at the sight of the infuriated goddess, and Miroku hurriedly put the phone back to his ear. "My dearest Sango, it seems that my cover is blown! Details will be discussed in private tonight."

"Details? What details?" Kagome demanded to know as Miroku hung up. The pink satin Louboutins clicked against the flooring in a dangerously slow rhythm, reminding Miroku of the countdown to a bomb explosion.

"My dearest Kagome…" Miroku regarded his fuming sister-in-law with a huge goofy grin, the one he always used when he hoped to get out of trouble with the two ladies living under one roof with him. "Nice weather isn't it? What are you planning to have for lunch later?"

"It's not working, dear brother-in-law."

Oops. Kagome was really mad. Miroku gulped.

"Huh?"

Stomping over to her brother-in-law and jabbing him in the chest, Kagome asked with a dangerous glint in those large, expressive eyes. "How could you…how could you gossip about me?"

"Kagome dear, it was Sango on the line! She's family-"

"You fabricated tales about me and Mr. Taisho! Whoever told you we were together? Sango must be upset…we tell each other everything, and she must be under the impression that I kept it from her!" Kagome's facial expression was an exquisite blend of embarrassment, anger and helplessness. Unbeknownst to Miroku, there was a secret little tinge of happiness in her heart. "You…you gossipmonger! What if Mr. Taisho hears about this?"

"That hurt my fragile heart, my lovely little Kagome!" Miroku feigned hurt. "I was simply hoping that things would work out for you and Mr. Taisho-"

"Well, things are going fine! Of all places, you had to come to the pantry to talk about my private affairs! There's nothing concrete between the two of us…the last thing I need is for the entire level to start speculating what's going on between Sesshoumaru and I-"

"Sesshoumaru?" Miroku grinned evilly. "So you guys have reached the first name basis?"

"I…I-" The lovely goddess' usually pretty aura was subdued and dying to flare at the same time. Even the glossy appearance of her satin top was muted in that instant.

"Ah-ha! I knew it! Nothing escapes Miroku the love guru!" He proclaimed triumphantly, raising the "Victory" sign while poor Kagome 'sweat dropped' in the background and prayed for the ground to swallow her up.

"What are you worried about? He is totally into you!" Miroku went on to announce with all the pride of a rocket scientist on having sent his spacecraft into outer space. "I can see it in his eyes…it's how I look at Sango. And perhaps a few other ladies…"

_Really? Miroku can tell Sesshoumaru's interested in me?_

"Well…I cannot deny there's attraction, but-"

He snapped his fingers, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "Uh-uh. I am not the love guru for nothing! Everything that revolves around the L.O.V.E is my forte. There has never been failure in my love track record, and I definitely don't foresee failure in the future!"

"Wait till I tell Sango that~" Kagome sang a little tune, watching how Miroku's handsome features contort into a mask of discomfort and fear.

"No, no!" He put out both his hands as if initiating a peace truce. "The entire point about love being my forte is how I never get the signs wrong. And as much as you deny it, you and Mr. Taisho are displaying all the telltale signs of how "I just want to rip your shirt open and get my way with you", or "lift your skirt", for that matter."

"Eh?"

"It is also known as sexual tension."

_He didn't just say that!_

"Inagaki Miroku!" She feigned horror and anger and hit him on the hand. "How can you be so…arrrrrgh!"

Miroku flashed an award-winning grin. "I am sure you can feel it, sweetie. You just wait till he sweeps you off your feet, and I am quite sure it won't be too long a wait!"

Kagome slapped the base of her palm to her forehead, before regarding her brother-in-law with the evil glare. "You just want me out of your place, right? Ever since I moved in, I am sure there are certain…inconveniences brought upon you and my sister."

"What makes you think that, my lovely Kagome? We are most happy to have you around in our humble abode!"

"I am sure you guys love having me around…I know you dote on me. I really wished I didn't hear it, but I heard what you said about the kitchen counter and the chocolate bath." Kagome continued, noticing a tint of pink dye Miroku's cheeks. "I will find an apartment soon…it's just that I haven't managed to find a decent one that is actually worth its price…"

_So she's still looking for the apartment? Hmmm…_

Sesshoumaru stood outside the pantry area, listening in on the conversation exchanged between Inagaki Miroku and the lovely Miss Popularity of Taisho Corporation.

Once again, Higurashi Kagome has managed to make him, the respectable CEO act totally out-of-character, to the extent of snooping and listening in on others' conversations outside the pantry.

_But at least I know she kind of likes me too…and as Inagaki Miroku said, there's sexual tension in the air…_

He smiled to himself, and it was then when he realized that Jaken had walked past him with the most bizarre expression on his ugly, wrinkly face, only to evade the eye contact almost instantly.

Now Jaken most probably thought he was going crazy as well.

_Damn. This woman was really affecting him in many, many ways._

_But she's hot! And really desirable._

Pretty faces were everywhere, but a pretty face matched with a positive working attitude, healthy appetite, bubbly and subtly flirty personality, great body and kindness to everyone else was…

…_RARE._

To the extent of being extinct, actually. In Sesshoumaru's opinion, having met his fair share of _rather _crappy specimens of the female species, Kagome was rarer than a breathing, leaf-munching brontosaurus.

If fossilized dinosaur eggs and frozen mammoths could spike so much interest in people, then Kagome's immense popularity was easily justified.

Girls like her do not come by too often, and Sesshoumaru was an opportunist. Along with perhaps every other man at Taisho Corporation, with the exception of Miroku. It was common knowledge that even mean old, boring Jaken found Kagome really attractive and cute.

Sesshoumaru had to take action.

Quick.

How should he go about doing it?

He wondered what rocked her boat - high-profile courtships, or perhaps, simple, sincere ones?

He was so preoccupied with his dreamy thoughts of her, Sesshoumaru failed to notice Kagome exiting the pantry with Miroku.

"Ah! Mr. Taisho…" She acknowledged, startled that he was standing right outside the pantry with his back plastered to the wall. Miroku hastily inclined his head in a polite greeting.

_Shit!_

"Good afternoon." Sesshoumaru said stiffly, hoping that his lovely goddess would not question him…

_Good afternoon? Sesshoumaru…are you pathetic or what?_ He mentally chided himself. _Why are you always appearing so…uncool…when Kagome is around?_

"Why are you-" Kagome asked, her eyes questioning as she looked from him to the pantry and back at him again.

Sesshoumaru's mind whirred for an answer, hoping to come up with something which would satisfy her curiosity. "Coffee. Yeah, coffee."

Miroku walked ahead as if he was in a hurry to get to somewhere.

"Oh." Kagome nodded dumbly, her face flushing as she realized how Sesshoumaru most probably heard all of their earlier conversation. "Coffee. Right."

_I am so going to ask Sango to give you two karate kicks, Miroku._

_Two kicks are not enough. Maybe a few punches too._

_Arrrrrrrgh!_

She smiled a forced smile, and bowed politely as she hurried away from the cursed pantry, the disgusting coffee maker and the dreamboat named Taisho Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru chuckled softly when he saw his lovely goddess catching up with her poor brother-in-law in those lovely satin Louboutins and giving him a hard pinch and slap on the arm.

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/N: Poor Miroku! I had a fun time making Kagome abuse him…hahaha! Hope you guys enjoyed this update, and please review and make MissTeak a happy girl! I love you guys!


	6. Chapter 6

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: Finally, I have come back to this story of mine! Which once again reminds me how I should never start new stories until I finish those on my hands. Anyway, here goes! I kinda like how this chapter turned out, so I hope you guys will too.

**Title: Let us fall in love**

* * *

Cupid was apparently a very benevolent creature, and most probably had reflected on its mistake of screwing things up for the very beautiful couple it was trying to match make.

The awkward incident at the pantry two days ago had rendered Sesshoumaru's goddess unable to look at him with the confidence she used to ooze from every pore. Rather, she would hastily bow and give him a quick, embarrassed smile whenever he managed to meet her eyes, before hurrying off to some random task in her heels-of-the-day.

Today was no exception, and Sesshoumaru found himself wondering how on earth a female could move so rapidly in 5" Steve Madden red suede Caryssas. Honestly, it had to be one of the greatest mysteries of the universe which no amount of physics can solve.

Unfortunately, lovely Kagome had left with her usual posse of male escorts for lunch at some fancy place again, leaving him sitting alone in the company's dining hall with none other than ugly old Jaken.

As Sesshoumaru stabbed mercilessly at the thick slice of grilled cod in his bento box, cursing the fact that he had to be caught eavesdropping on the conversation between Kagome and Miroku, Jaken made the almost fatal misake of asking, "Why didn't you go to lunch with Miss Higurashi, Mr. Taisho?"

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru replied smoothly, watching as the cod went through a second death at the tips of his chopsticks. "Do you really think I would sit here and have lunch with you if I could have gone with Miss Higurashi?"

"…no, Mr. Taisho?" Jaken added sheepishly.

"That simply proves how meaningless your earlier question was." He muttered, shoving a huge mouthful of cod fish flakes into his mouth in an uncharacteristically crass manner.

And as if the day could not get any worse, he had to be treated to the sight of_ his _Princess Kagome being flanked by what he now dubbed her "voluntary imperial guards", laughing merrily at some presumably _stupid_ joke made by some _stupider_ joker.

(Of course, 'stupid' was a very subjective term, and jealousy was not helping Sesshoumaru in the least.)

Then they had to get into the same elevator, and Sesshoumaru had to act as if he was not at all bothered by the presence of all the unnecessary individuals. As she entered the elevator, she caught his gaze again, and gave him a quick smile before hurriedly turning around to face the doors. Kagome tried to keep a distance from her beautiful icy boss, not that the interior of the elevator allowed for any distance further than five feet, only to fail miserably. Alas, her contingent of fan-boys had piled into the elevator as well, and she found herself carried along the human flow to stand right in front of the man she wanted to avoid.

And because of him being him, everyone had quickly muttered a "Good afternoon, Mr. Taisho" and the elevator's tiny space plunged into an awkward, morbid silence as its occupants all stared up at the little screen, praying for the numbers to jump faster. Kagome was left standing in front of Sesshoumaru, feeling his steady, warm breath brush across the top of her head so distractingly. Meanwhile, the fresh floral scent of her wavy black hair was charming the common sense out of his head.

He made a mental note to compliment her on her choice of shampoo some other day; Shiseido's Tsubaki shampoo's camellia scent was alluring and feminine indeed.

Then they came to the level where the human resource department _and_ his personal office were on, so everyone streamed out of the elevator. Then magically, as if Kagome had magnetic properties and those men were either made of iron, steel, nickel or cobalt, they flocked around her. So it was one huge group and one lone, stoic man walking away from the elevator. Of course, Sesshoumaru did not catch the guilty glances Kagome took in his direction whenever he wasn't looking at her, and each went back to their respective desks.

Because he had picked on the two lovebirds in this horrible manner, Cupid apparently decided to make things right for them again.

So that evening, as Sesshoumaru stayed behind in his office to complete the preparations for two presentations with his company's clients later that week, Cupid decided to sprinkle some magic dust over the human resource department office.

The elevator doors at the lift lobby parted with a merry 'ding' and a pair of Steve Madden's black snake Kobbe flats stepped out from within. Accompanying the flats was not the usual Chanel Coco Mademoiselle scent, but instead, was the sweet, comfortable scent of what was unmistakably L'Occitane's White Tea body crème. The owner of the pair of pretty feet made her way slowly along the common aisle of the office, only to jump ever so slightly as she heard a sexy baritone voice from the shadows of the dimly-lit office.

"Didn't know you enjoyed work so much, Kagome."

She smiled as the evident humor dispelled some of her nervousness around this man. "Good evening. Reality calls for it, boss. You seem to enjoy your work as well."

Sesshoumaru smiled to himself, deciding that he must have been a very good boy for Fate to reward him so well. Walking out from the doorway of his personal office, he flicked the switches on the wall to turn the lights of the main office area on. Then he took in the sight of the beautiful goddess standing in front of him, and his breath was once again, taken away.

Instead of her usual professional image, Kagome was currently dressed in a sweet, casual style, complete with flats in the place of power-woman heels and a girly cream colored knitted jacket over a simple black cotton dress. The flats made her look even smaller and more endearing in her real height, and he noticed how she had casually tied her cascading waves into a simple ponytail. And the white tea scent wafting off her gave an oriental touch to her current outfit, and he found himself appreciating it very much indeed.

"Why are you back in the office? I don't recall slave-driving lovely ladies." He added casually as she walked to her desk, which happened to be covered with little ornaments and cutesy figurines from her admirers. Perhaps it was because there was no one else to judge their reactions or observe them; Kagome felt a lot more at ease than she had in the day.

"Oh, really?" She added a tinge of good-natured sarcasm as she plugged her thumb drive into its port. "Funny how my document is titled 'Status Report for Mr. Taisho', and the sticky note here says 'due 24th April' which hmmm…happens to be two days later. But on a more serious note, well…it's kinda hard to get work done at the place I currently call home with my sister and my department manager, who happens to be my brother-in-law, unable to keep their displays of affection private."

He smirked at her quirkiness and disappeared into the pantry at the end of the office, while she settled comfortably in her seat, leaning slightly forward to read the opened document.

Kagome began typing away, intending to complete her work since she detested doing things last minute, until distraction descended upon her desk in the form of a small plate of cookies and a glass of warm milk.

She gasped soundlessly in pleasant surprise and looked up at the man who had just made the sweet gesture.

"Thank you, this is really sweet of you. I love cookies with milk," She smiled, and Sesshoumaru thought he had to be in heaven. "And it's warm too, which makes it even better."

So he could only nod in silence as his goddess dipped one of the bite-sized cookies into the milk and popped it into her mouth, chewing appreciatively. Then the great CEO of Taisho Corporation suddenly entertained an absurd thought – he thought about how nice it would be if he could become a bite-sized chocolate chip cookie on _her_ plate.

"Hmmm…" She hummed appreciatively. "It's so good."

Then he stood there for three seconds, trying hard not to smile to himself, when she looked up at him in poorly concealed amusement. "Don't you have to get back to your work, Mr. Taisho?"

Minutes later, he found himself back at his desk. Funny how he did not even recall walking back.

Sesshoumaru wanted to smack himself over the head again. For goodness' sake, he was supposed to be cool, suave, collected and perfect in every single aspect! How could he go around acting like a fool in love around the only girl whom he was interested in impressing? _Well, she did say you are sweet…_His inner voice chuckled, though he shoved it aside and typed furiously at his keyboard, determined to finish his work before she managed to complete hers. That was the only way he could get more interaction with her; it wouldn't do if she had managed to complete her work before him and end up leaving the office.

So he continued to work furiously, driven by his ulterior motive of catching Kagome before she leaves the office, and three long hours went by in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, a torrential rain had started outside, and the dull drone of rain against glass could be heard.

Finally, he had managed to complete the last of his presentation slides, and Sesshoumaru found himself peeping through the gaps in the blinds of his office to check on his lovely goddess. Then he once again found himself floating in her magical presence, for he saw how adorable she looked when she was slumped over her keyboard, apparently having fallen asleep.

Slowly, he made his way over to where she was, removing his coat so he could gently place it over her to keep her warm. But lovely Kagome was obviously a light sleeper, for she stirred when the jacket came into contact with her shoulders, and those beautiful eyes fluttered open like butterflies in spring.

Then he noticed how her computer screen was blank, which means she had completed and saved her work before he completed his, but for some reason, she did not leave the office immediately. Could it be because of the rain? Or could it be because of…him?

A rush of sugary sweetness attacked his bedazzled mind, and Sesshoumaru was brought back to earth once again when he heard her sweet voice.

"Mr. Taisho? Oh gosh, I am sorry…" She said softly, pressing the base of her palm against her forehead. "I must have fallen asleep while waiting..."

Waiting? For what?

"You were waiting for the rain to stop?" He asked, unwilling to jump to conclusions.

"Partly…" She smiled alluringly, evading his eyes as she looked down at her hands in her lap. "And also, waiting for you. I figured since we were both working tonight…"

If he was to die there and then, Sesshoumaru concluded, he would die the happiest man on earth.

"The rain is rather heavy at the moment," He remarked, casting a glance at the glass windows. "I was wondering if we should sit here and wait for awhile, since it wouldn't be too safe to drive in this downpour."

Kagome nodded in agreement and casually undid her ponytail, releasing a fresh rush of Shiseido Tsubaki fragrance along with those inky black waves. "Thank you for your coat," She said in a soft, appreciative voice. "It's really quite cold, now that it's raining outside. Mr. Taisho, do you know what would make this perfect?"

"I don't know," He subconsciously put his hand at his nape, wondering as he squeezed the slightly tired muscles there. "I mean, I already have your company, and that's good enough for me."

She laughed, her mirth rolling off her in waves. "I am greedier; I appreciate the company you provide and I would definitely appreciate a warm bowl of _shoyu ramen_ right now. But of course, it's merely a craving. I don't think there's anyone selling _shoyu ramen _at this late hour in this terrible weather."

"Give me fifteen minutes."

Surprise was etched on her beautiful face. "Eh?"

"Just wait here," He said, watching her brows furrow as she kept her smile on her face as he stepped further away from her to get to his office. "Don't go anywhere, alright?"

Then her devastatingly handsome boss grabbed his wallet and ran to the elevator lobby, before the doors opened and he stepped within to disappear from her sight. Smiling to herself, wondering what he could possibly be up to, Kagome played with her recently manicured nails. The acrylic nails were in a red, white and silver pattern; the three colors which he liked the most. For one, his hair was a shade of pearly silver-white which looked as if it had been dipped into moonshine. He drove a silver car, and his iPhone had a silver casing as well, so she figured he liked the color. Red was the color of his family crest, as was the official logo of Taisho Corporation.

She wondered if he had noticed her nails, or if he had noticed that she wasn't wearing heels at the moment.

Somehow, they had been so reserved and awkward around each other when the office was filled with employees, but now that no one else was around except for the security guards at the basement and the first level, Kagome found that they could communicate perfectly as they had done so on the lunch date.

She picked her pen up from the cutesy Hello Kitty pen holder on her desk, doodling the name "Taisho Kagome" on her notepad again and again, analyzing the Japanese kanji characters while counting the number of strokes to them. Then she realized how he had already been gone for ten minutes, and it would be better to put the notepad away before he sees it and end up making things more awkward for them.

"Surprise." He said minutes later, from beside her ear in his velvety baritone voice. A plastic carrier was placed onto her desk, and Kagome did not have to be psychic to know what was inside.

"Shoyu ramen!" She cried out in delight, clapping her hands together at her lips while looking at him with a facial expression which was both endearing and grateful. Sesshoumaru decided he would be contented to see this lovely face for the rest of his life, and would do all he can to satisfy Higurashi Kagome just to see her smile like that. "Thank you so much! This is really, really so kind and sweet of you…"

Then she saw that he was a little drenched from the merciless rain outside, and stood up in concern. "Oh dear, your sleeves are wet," She noted, pulling out paper napkins from the box on her desk to blot the patches of soaked fabric dry. "You ran out in the rain just to get this for me?"

"I had an umbrella." Sesshoumaru mumbled, feeling his cheeks go warm as his lovely dream girl busied herself with drying his sleeves. "And it was too much of a hassle to drive two streets down to the ramen shop since I'd have to go park the car first…"

His voice died as he felt a soft, cool palm come lightly into contact with his heated cheek, before her angelic face came into view. "You are such a silly boy, Mr. Taisho."

He reached into the carrier carefully to take one of the plastic bowls containing the _shoyu ramen_ out. Removing the lid, he split the pair of chopsticks and placed it across the bowl. "Go on, try it."

Unable to keep the smile off her face, Kagome did the same for him and pulled the chair away from the desk behind hers so that he could sit by her side. Taking an appreciative bite of the springy noodles, she sighed in appreciation. "This is perfect, Mr. Taisho."

"It's after working hours, so I am now Sesshoumaru to you." He gave her a small half-smile which drove her crazy on the inside, before turning his attention to the _shoyu ramen_ in front of him. Kagome watched him take a hearty mouthful, and decided she loved watching this man eat. Even the way he ate was sexy; fast but not to the extent of gobbling, but decisive, masculine and confident. The way he chewed in silent appreciation was sending tingly sensations down her spine.

"Then you're a silly boy, Sesshoumaru." Kagome breathed sensually, watching him with slightly reproachful eyes. "I was only making a passing remark about the craving and you went ahead to run out into the pouring rain-"

"It's worth it." He said softly, and before she could figure out what was going on, Sesshoumaru had pressed his lips to his goddess' in a lingering shoyu ramen-flavored kiss.

It is funny how a random craving could turn into a delightful burst of flavor which neither can forget for the rest of their lives.

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_To be continued…_

A/N: Phew! Finally done after 3 hours of non-stop writing. Please tell me you guys enjoyed this update!


	7. Chapter 7

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: This fluffy little story will come to an end in this chapter and I hope you guys enjoy this! I sincerely apologize for ending the story so hastily, but the muse is almost dying on this one, and I just want to see our lovely characters get their happy ending!

**Title: Let us fall in love**

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For the very first time since she joined this company, Kagome found herself being ignored.

Well, not exactly _ignored_ in the sense that she was being ostracized, but she was definitely getting less attention from the men.

While she was not one of those crazy bimbos who judged her self-worth based on the amount of attention men lavished on her, Kagome was a girl who would honestly admit that attention from species of the opposite sex was a pretty nice thing to have. She had been basking in the attention lavished upon her so generously by the male employees of Taisho Corporation and enjoying it very much indeed…until today.

Right now, as she walked down the aisle in her office leading to her desk, Kagome couldn't help the confused expression that materialized on her pretty face. No heads were turned in her direction, and there were no loud, enthusiastic calls of 'Hi, Miss Higurashi!' Something was very wrong, but what was it?

She had applied for half-day leave early in the morning with her reason being a pretty bad bout of migraine, and that explained why she was coming in to work only in the afternoon. After all, Kagome did not really wish to see Sesshoumaru. Ever since that kiss they shared the previous night, he had not said anything about their relationship status.

He had not done anything more than that one kiss, ate the ramen in silence and had sent her home soon after the rain stopped. Kagome, still dazed from the sweet kiss, had contemplated asking him if the kiss had meant anything to him. But pride had stopped her from doing so, for it was just too awkward, especially if Sesshoumaru had thought of it as nothing but just something he had done in the heat of the moment.

Confused, disappointed and embarrassed, she decided not to do anything about it and settled for acting as if nothing had happened between them. Her mood was bad enough already; she did not expect her colleagues to be acting so cold towards her as well.

What could have happened in the company in the morning?

Catching the eye of one of her all-time greatest admirers, she put on her most winsome smile and greeted, "Good afternoon, Mr. Makita. How are you today?"

He simply nodded nervously and squeaked in reply, "Good."

He did not even bother with a 'Good afternoon'.

And he was usually one of those avid admirers of hers who would have given his arm if Kagome had asked for it.

Sniffing the air around herself discreetly, and glancing down at herself, Kagome's mind went through a mental checklist.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum?

Check.

Sapatas de Prada Heels?

Check. Complete with the most adorable and delicate red flower heels.

Black silk Prada faille dress?

Check.

She did not smell bad, did not wear different shoes on each side of her feet and most definitely did not have ketchup stains from her morning omelet on her dress.

Then what was wrong?

She cast a questioning look at Miroku, but the latter simply smirked and waggled his brows suggestively at her. Perplexed by his response, Kagome could only frown and continue walking to her desk.

A thousand possibilities for her colleagues' uncharacteristic behavior ran through her mind, but Kagome could think of none, until she recalled something.

Oh god. No way.

Did they know about the kiss she had shared with their CEO, Taisho Sesshoumaru, late in the office last night?

…_oh dear._

They must have somehow found out about it, and were obviously acting weird because Sesshoumaru was bound to be royally pissed over how word had gotten around, and Kagome was either in for a scolding, or even worse, fired from the job.

She did not want to be paranoid and end up overreacting, but that had to be the reason. What other reasons could there be?

Upon reaching her desk, Kagome proceeded to pull her chair out, only to stop to stare at what greeted her eyes in incredulousness. Her brain fumbled for the right reaction as her nervous system tried to send the right message from her visual receptors to her brain but…no, this couldn't be. What was going on?

It was unbelievable, really, but what was a girl supposed to do when she found a Hermes Birkin in matte poro crocodile in Blue Brighton, complete with the most luxurious diamond-encrusted hard ware, on her desk?

Temptation screamed at her to reach out and touch her dream bag, something which she could only dream of owning after at least eight tequila shots, but rationality told her someone must have made a mistake. Confused, she looked around the desk, taking in the familiar sights of her belongings on it. This was her desk. But the Birkin was definitely not hers.

There was something else glinting in the office lights beside the Birkin, and Kagome realized it was a key. Wrapping her fingers around the cool metal, she brought it up to her chest level, studying the foreign object. She had never seen this key before, and why would anyone else in the office give her a key? Did they change the lock to the printing room?

"Mr. Kishimoto," She whispered to the colleague sitting opposite her, and the young man looked up from his computer screen. "Why is this thing on my desk? Do you have any idea who left them here?"

The man opened his mouth to say something, only to look over Kagome's shoulder and incline his head in a hasty bow. More confused than ever, Kagome instinctively turned to see her gorgeous CEO standing behind her, his facial expression unreadable. As always his gorgeous features took her breath away and left her starved brain fighting for oxygen to stay sane in his presence. She thought she would have gotten over his lack of reaction to their kiss, but no, seeing his face still brought pangs of disappointment to her.

"Mr. Taisho, I…" She started, gesturing towards the extravagant bag and the key in her hand, clearly not knowing what to do with them. "I found these on my table, and I have absolutely no idea who they belong to…"

His jaw line tightened, and she hurriedly looked down at her black Prada heels, as if oddly fascinated with how her feet looked in them.

"Kagome."

Her head snapped up, and he could sense how the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle-scented aura was in an erratic mess. Her sparkling eyes were brimming with confusion, and then shock, for she had obviously realized he did not address her by 'Miss Higurashi' in front of all those present. Everyone was staring at them, though they were doing a terrible job at pretending not to stare.

While his stunning goddess was still drowning in a confused cloud of her alluring scent, Sesshoumaru decided to continue.

"There are two things which I would like to clarify with you."

She nodded dumbly, and for once, she did not look like the confident, sexy Miss Popularity of Taisho Corporation. Rather, she looked endearingly perplexed, and he felt stirrings of pride for being the one to put that expression on her face.

"Firstly, it is Sesshoumaru to you. Not 'Mr. Taisho'."

Huh?

"Secondly," He held another finger up. "Those items on your desk belong to you."

She felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her middle, and Kagome hurriedly drew a deep breath. Almost giddy with disbelief, she thought to herself again, _'Did Sesshoumaru just say that gorgeous, unattainable, totally-to-die-for Hermes birkin in matte poro crocodile in Blue Brighton, with diamond-encrusted hard ware, was mine?'_

"How…? Then, this key…?" She lifted it up questioningly.

He cleared his throat once and evaded her eyes in a rare display of bashfulness.

"I've placed the order for the Birkin since a few years ago, intending to give it to a very special girl." He said matter-of-factly. "And that, Kagome, is the key to my apartment."

_Oh my god._

_Oh my god. _

By now, Kagome's poor mind was in overdrive.

"What do you mean by this?" She whispered, as squeaked as he leaned forward to capture her lips in a kiss that instantly told all the other guys it was high time to stop entertaining any ideas of having Kagome for themselves. After all, he had already informed Inagaki Miroku of his intention to make Kagome his girlfriend, and knowing that man…well, Sesshoumaru wasn't too surprised that the entire office now knew of his intentions.

"Let us fall in love, Kagome."

All she did was kiss him back.

Before all the coherent thoughts flew out of her mind as Sesshoumaru deepened the kiss, Kagome thought to herself.

She loved the song 'Labels or Love' by Fergie, but evidently, her favorite singer was wrong.

Sometimes girls did not have to choose either labels or love, they could have _both_ their cake and eat it too.

And have that cake topped with one sexy CEO.

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_The End._


End file.
